News
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June 14, 2013
BME Undergraduate Awarded Scholarship for 2013-14
BME undergraduate Amanda Chen has been awarded a Tau Beta Pi Scholarship for 2013-14, in the amount of $2,000 for a year of full-time academic study, or $1,000 for a semester or two quarters of full-time academic study. Amanda is currently studying therapeutic biomaterials for treating bone remodeling disorders in Dr. Danielle Benoit's lab. Congratulations Amanda!
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June 4, 2013
Lemonade Calls Attention to Child Cancer Treatments
The Benoit Lab Lemonade Stand at the Rochester Public Market in 2012
On most days, Danielle Benoit can be found in her lab developing better ways to administer medicines for treating diseases, particularly childhood cancer. This weekend, Benoit and the other researchers in her lab will show their support for the foundation that helps fund their research. They'll put down their beakers and syringes in favor of pitchers of lemonadeâin the spirit of the little girl who made it all possible.
The 4th Annual Benoit Laboratory Lemonade Stand takes place this weekend at the Rochester and Brighton public markets. Benoit, assistant professor of biomedical engineering, and her fellow researchers will be serving lemonade and explaining their work on childhood cancer therapies. It's part of a national effort organized by Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation.
The name comes from Alexandra "Alex" Scott of Connecticut, a four-year-old girl who was diagnosed with cancer before her first birthday. She set up lemonade stands every year before her death at age 8 to raise money so that doctors could find a cure for cancer. The idea spread, and children in other parts of the country set up their own lemonade stands to join the cause.
"Cancer affects children differently than it does adults," said Benoit. "The causes are unknown and the treatments are less-than-optimal since they were developed for adults." Cancer is also the leading cause of death for children 15 and younger.
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May 30, 2013
Dr. Hocking's Work Recognized with TechConnect Innovation Award
Fibronectic Matrix Mimetic technology, developed by Professor Denise Hocking (Pharmacology and Physiology, BME), was recently recognized with a TechConnect Innovation Award. The TechConnect Innovation Awards recognize the top 20% of technologies at the TechConnect World Summit & Innovation. The technology was presented at TechConnect World by Patrick Emmerling Ph.D, M.B.A. from the UR Office of Technology Transfer. TechConnect World is designed to accelerate the translation of innovations from the laboratory to industry commercialization. Innovation rankings are based on the potential impact of the technology on the industry sector. Fibronectin matrix mimetics are novel extracellular matrix protein-based biologics developed to promote the healing of chronic wounds. The technology falls under a new and exciting class of therapies known as wound biologics.
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May 22, 2013
BME Alumni Jess Snyder leads her team to International Victory!
The University of Rochester women's team beat out the others, completing the 3.5-mile course of Corporate Challenge Championship in a combined 1 hour, 24 minutes and 41 seconds. UR's Jessica Snyder (running the course in 20 minutes, 19 seconds) led Sarah Loerch, Kristina Maletz, and Christina deVries across the finish line.
It was the first time Rochester hosted the international championships; 10,921 runners registered for the regular race, which took place at the same time and venue as the championships.
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May 22, 2013
Kelley Madden Receives 2-year DOD IDEA Expansion Grant
Kelley S. Madden, Ph.D., Research Assistant Professor in Edward Brown's lab, in the Department of Biomedical Engineering has received a 2-year DOD IDEA Expansion Grant worth $575,000 for her project entitled, Alpha2-Adrenergic Receptors and Breast Tumor Stroma: A Novel Pathway Driving Breast Cancer Growth and Metastasis. The project is based on the stress neurotransmitter norepinephrine which promotes breast tumor progression and metastasis. The grant will investigate how selective activation of one of the receptors for norepinephrine, the alpha2-adrenergic receptor, impacts tumor stromal cells and their modulation of the tumor extracellular matrix to promote tumor metastasis. The proposed research may lead to new therapies to treat metastatic breast cancer by targeting alpha2-adrenergic receptors.